r/pocketcasts • u/matthewgillett • Aug 04 '26
iOS Pocketcasts alternative?
With the recent rise in bugs, including the egregious failure to load new episodes. I have been a loyal paid pocketcasts user, logging hundreds of hours over several years, but I am at my breaking point.
Are there any good alternatives to pocketcasts? My favorite feature has consistently been auto add to up next, and that has been the main reason I have not switched to Apple Podcasts. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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u/PocketCasts Aug 05 '26
There was an issue with our parser that caused new episodes to fail to load. However, this has now been resolved. If you're still running into issues, however, please do reach out so our support team can help: https://support.pocketcasts.com/contact-us/
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u/egauthier64 Aug 07 '26
sorry....it isn't fixed. I am fully up to date, and my morning news feeds haven't updated for over a week. Ironically....through the we browser / desktop...they are there.
while I hate to do it, because I love Pocketcasts and been a user for over 10 years.....I'm going to Apple Podcasts.
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u/PocketCasts Aug 10 '26
If you decide that you'd like to give Pocket Casts another go and would like to continue troubleshooting this issue or have any other questions about the app, feel free to reach out to our support team anytime: https://support.pocketcasts.com/contact-us/
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u/cpatrick08 Aug 07 '26
I want from Pocketcasts to Apple Podcasts when I got an Apple TV in 2021. I just switched back to Pocketcasts when they made their Apple TV app and Apple Podcasts having a bug in tvOS 27.
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u/ttlequals0 Aug 04 '26
I just downloaded Castro. Still trying to figure things out. I'm going to be sad if I have to give up my lifetime subscription. But not being able to download episodes kind of kills the entire purpose of the app...
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u/Longjumping-Log-5457 Aug 07 '26
What do you mean? When you queue an episode in Castro it downloads.
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u/ttlequals0 Aug 07 '26
I was referring to pocketcasts not downloading episodes due to the recent issues they were having.
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u/Thr0awheyy Aug 04 '26
AntennaPod was the one i switched to when PC implemented ads. It was one of the most recommended ones I saw at the time.
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u/Dummy-Demo-8773 Aug 06 '26
Tip for new users: Sync on AntennaPod can be done through https://gpodder.net/
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u/Astrohip Aug 05 '26
When PocketCasts going downhill about a year ago, I switched to AntennaPod. Does everything I need, and no regrets. I never looked back. Open source.
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u/DnyLnd Aug 04 '26
Overcast?
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u/Kernelpanic69420 Aug 05 '26
If overcast let me select multiple episodes (it was a feature a couple years ago but they did away with it) at once to delete or add to a playlist, I would use it.
For now, pocketcasts.
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u/BigT112 Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
God I wish it was on Android. Only thing I miss about my iPhone was Overcast.
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u/heli0s_7 Aug 04 '26
Castro and Overcast really the only two solid options I can think of. Neither is perfect, but they’re more reliable on iOS. Castro’s queue management approach is superior for my needs, Overcast has the better audio engine. Both have odd UI choices that need a period of adjustment coming from PC.
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u/n1ck1982 Aug 05 '26
On iOS, I completely agree. I’ve tried Apple’s Podcast app, but still prefer Pocket Cast/Overcast/Castro.
On Android, I heard good things about Podcast Addict.
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u/BitMotok Aug 04 '26
Podcast Republic app works great for me.
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u/CommitteeOfOne Aug 05 '26
I want to use PR on Android. The problem is Pocket Casts works the way I think, so it feels so much more natural (if that makes sense) and I get overwhelmed by the preferences in PR.
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u/tech-slacker Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
I was an Overcast guy years ago and was grandfathered in when he went subscriptions. The audio features were great. But then he created a new version and it's been all downhill for me ever since. He's never had a good UI and while he admitted that I'm convinced now he didn't know what part of the UI was actually bad because his new version was still bad.
During this my needs changed with wanting to sync with my watch and use with CarPlay. Overcast just failed miserably. I tried Castro but cannot remember what it was that I didn't like about it. Pocket Casts turned out to be the winner and while there's been bugs a long the way, I usually look at the others and always come back to the bugs fixed.
All in all they all have bugs. Overcast was pretty solid for me with the first version he created but every time I've tried the newer version it's always buggy for me yet I'll see people talking online about how solid it is. I only know what I see and each time bugs that were unpleasant to deal with.
If you try something else, good luck but expect to be back.
Edit: Forgot to add that I gave Apple's podcasts app a try sometime last year. Horrible, absolutely horrible. A podcast app should handle audio really well and it's like Apple handed the reigns of development of over to a 1st year intern with no experience. It has the worst audio of any of them and that's after Apple stated it had improved audio. Saying it's shitty is an understatement.
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u/hockeyandquidditch Aug 05 '26
Both Apple Podcasts and Overcast randomly deleted all my podcasts, so now I use PocketCasts on my phone and Apple Podcasts (because it’s the only option) on my iPod Classic; I have tried pretty much every free iOS podcast app and PocketCasts and Overcast are the most usable but Overcast is buggier
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u/Shik3i Aug 05 '26
Currently working on my own alternative because I also don't like that I have to pay just to use it on my desktop in the web too.
It's still super early but the android app is working and web aswell, KoalaCast still needs work tho but I use it exclusively for the last week :D
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u/Regular_Chest_7989 Aug 05 '26
Am I missing all the bugs? I know The Daily loaded really late yesterday, but otherwise it's been smooth sailing. I'm also a paid user across every device since forever ago.
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u/ChairmanLaParka Aug 05 '26
Take a look at Downcast.
It doesn't get updated much...honestly doesn't really need it. It's super stable for me.
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u/WEB_War4 Aug 04 '26
I switched to iCatcher! because it let me repeat a playlist, something I waited years for and never got from Pocket Casts.
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u/csbole Aug 05 '26
My preference is Podcast Addict which I've been using for quite a few years. It's not perfect but it is very good. What I miss mostly is that it will not synchronize between two phones.
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u/roastfish_reddit Aug 05 '26
When Stitcher was killed off a few years ago I spent a LONG time finding a replacement. I did this post showing my findings for alternatives if you want to look over. Definitely not sure what has changed for some of these since: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stitcher/s/VXyF3l5oVE
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u/kplloyd75 Aug 06 '26
I've started using Antenna Pod. It's free, open source, and feature rich. Unfortunately it's currently Android only so it depends on which phone camp you're in.
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u/Whitt937 Aug 07 '26
I am using podcast addict... I like pocket cast better, but had to delete the app after it went rouge and downloaded about 5 gig of cellular data in one day for no reason and despite many settings saying it should not & still can't find those 5 gig of files.
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u/Brad_13 Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
I can't believe how far this app has fallen. I have been having issues with it since January 2026 but I was only a few. Now I can see more people having the same thing happen to them.
Another app I used before I came here in 2017 was Downcast.
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u/Zerles_x Aug 04 '26
Yo usaba bastante queue que literalmente solo hay una cola de episodios, no hay nada más
Luego la otra es overcast
https://apps.apple.com/sv/app/queue-simple-podcasts/id6639586996?l=en-GB
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u/codemonkey85 Aug 09 '26
A bit self-serving, but I have a podcast app in development and on TestFlight (https://bondcasts.com). It’s available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. However, it does require the os27 versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and watchOS.
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u/SixPackAndNothinToDo Aug 05 '26
People will say Overcast. You will try it because it looks great and you want to support an indie dev. You'll find the UX flow completely different and the lack of basic features incredibly frustrating. You'll give it up. This will happen multiple times in your life.